Major: Electrical Engineering
Class: 1983
Current job title and employer:
Computational Engineer, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA
Has your MSOE education prepared you for the workforce? How?
Absolutely! During my first job in the Air Force as an avionics systems engineer I got to work with other engineers from a variety of engineering programs. Some had trouble relating all the theory they learned to the real physical world. MSOE offers LOTS of lab time for a hands-on reality check that is extremely valuable. That hands-on experience was helpful when I chose to pursue graduate study in marine science. I was able to create computerized equipment to collect data in the field that otherwise would not have been collected. It made my efforts unique and valuable.
What advice do you have for current or prospective MSOE students?
Grades matter and good grades will open doors. But once the door is open other things become important like your work ethic and how well you work in, and contribute to, a team.
What are your tips for success?
Don’t over think an opportunity you think is not ideal because you never know where it may lead. When I was in school NASA was a distant and impossible dream job. I took opportunities that routed me through the Air Force, graduate degrees in marine science (studying plant physiology), and a position as a lead systems engineer in a NASA scientific computing center. Now I’m working on computational metallurgy and additive manufacturing. Each step made the next possible. Each step gave me something I use now.
I learned this one from an Astronaut. When you’re interviewing assume that everyone you meet is important, even the cashier in the cafeteria. Actually, I’ve found this to be good advice everyday.